Combination pepper and salt box



(No Model.)

J. P. CAMPBELL. COMBINATION PEPPER AND SALT B0X.

Patented June 30, 1896.

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UNITED STATES lPATENT OFFICE.l

JOHN PAINTER CAMPBELL, OF SPOKANE, W'ASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PATRICK RYAN, OF KALISPEL, MONTANA.

COMBINATION PEPPER AND SALT BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 563,012, dated June 30, 1896.

Application led September 4, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN PAINTER CAMP- BELL, a resident of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Combination Pepper and Salt Box, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to combined pepper and salt boxes,with particular reference to the means of dispensing the same for individual table use, whereby either salt or pepper may be had at will with the aid of merely the thumb and iinger of but one hand.

My object is to produce a novel attractive device, which is compact, convenient, inexpensive, simple, and durable.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the various parts and combinations hereinafter set forth, and more particularly dened in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my combined pepper and salt box. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cover in a position to dispense pepper. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the movable disk and top of the cover in detail. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a spicecanister provided with a modification of my spring-operated cover and also showing a modified spring.

The numeral l designates the outer receptacle, which may be the ordinary tin box or it may be glass, porcelain, or other material, and may be plain or fancy in shape. Closely tting on the open end of box 1 is cover 2, provided with the depending iiange 3 and top 4, the latter being perforated with a plurality of holes, preferably arranged in two or more concentric circles, the outer ones 5 being large to discharge salt, and the inner ones 6 small to discharge pepper. Inclosing the pepper-apertures is an annular flange 7, depending internally and concentric to flange 3. This flange 7 is adapted to receive the pepper-receptacle 8, which is in the form of a tube 9, tapered at its lower end to a conical point l0. This conical form enables the pepper-receptacle 8 to be easily forced down into the salt contained in the box 1, and does not interfere with the salt coming out in use.

' Resting in close facial contact above top 4 Serial No. 561,4214I (No model.)

is disk or plate 12, centrally pivoted to said top at 13 by means of a rivet or small bolt 14 and tightening-nut 15. Plate 12 is perforated at 16 to aline with holes 6 and at 17 to aline with holes 5, only one set of perforations alining, however, at the same time. Plate 12 is also provided with a short oblique slot 18, terminating near its periphery and adapted to coperate, as presently described, with a radial guiding-slot 19, formed in top 4, the latter slot being protected by a suitable depending housing 2O to keep out the salt therefrom. An internal flange 21 is provided, as shown, in a plane just below said housing, to protect the same and to prevent binding of the cover when forced on the box, which would other- Wise be caused by the uneven stopping of the opposite sides of flange 3 because of housing 20.

Securely attached, by solder or otherwise, to the cover 2, and resting vertically against flange 3 thereof, and opposite slot 19, is spring 22. In my preferred form this spring consists of one piece of wire bent at one end to form aefinger-hold 23, having its upper portion 24 approximately in the plane of the cover-top 4, and thence bent downwardly in a straight line to form the attaching member Said wire is then bentV in one or more coils 26 to give the requisite spring action, and continued up outside of and in alinement with said inger-hold and substantially parallel thereto, to form a thumb-piece 27 being terminated in a downturned end or plunger 28. This depending end 28 is sprung over to engage the outer end of the oblique slot 18, and is of sufficient length to also pass through guiding-slot 19. Accordingly, all the parts being in place, if the nger be inserted in finger-hold 23, and the thumb pressed against thumb-piece 27, plunger end 28 will pass inwardly, being guided in a direct radial line by guiding-slot 19, and thereby bearing against the inner wall of slot 18, the result being that plate l2 will be turned to the right until the respective pepper-holes of top 4 and plate l2 are in alinement and the salt-holes are out of alinement. Upon releasing the thumbpressure, the spring will liy back to its normal position with end 28 at the outer extremities of the slots, thereby restoring the salt- IOO holes to operative alinement and closing the pepper-holes. It is thus always set for salt, except when pepper is wanted, for the reason that salt is usually required more frequently. The cover may be either slid on or screwed onto the box in the ordinary manner.

The spring 22 need not be of the precise form above designated, but may be of various shapes, one of which is shown in Fig. 5. In this form the finger-hold is dispensed with and the outer portion 27 is bent straight up parallel to the attaching member 25, this forming a more compact device. In this case the box and spring are grasped bodily in the hand and simply shaken for salt or squeezed for pepper.

It is obviousthat my improved cover may be adapt-edito various uses. Incase it should be used for a spice-box, all the holes should aline upon pressing the spring, the object being to preserve spices normally fromA the airall of the holes being then out of alinementas it is well known that when freely exposed to the air spices rapidly deteriorate. For this purpose the box would beof large size and the holes wouldl also be larger than for pepper or salt. i

Many changes in form anddetails may be madewithin the scope-of my invention, such as varying the construction of the operating device which engages the slot of the'pivoted plate, and which reciprocates in the radialslot of the top.

That Iclaim isl. The combination of a box, canister or other receptacle, a perforated top, a disk or plate centrally pivoted -on one face of` said top and. provided with perforations adapted to aline .with perforations in saidtop, and an operating-spring eccentrically connected withl the pivoted plate and arranged on the exterior of the receptacle, box or canisterand adapted to be compressed Ito revolve the said plate, substantially asl and for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a suitable receptacle., ofa perforated top therefor provided with a radial slot, a disk., or plate centrally pivoted tosaidtopiand correspondingly perforated and provided with'an oblique slot, lthe outer ends of:said slots being arranged innormal alinement, and aspringprovided with a pro-` j ecting plun ger adapted to enter said slots and to reciprocate therein, whereby pressure upon said .spring will cause said plunger to travel inwardlyalongsaid slots, therebycausing said f pivoted plate to rotate -until part or all of the respective perforations are brought into alinef ment, substantially as described.

Thecombination with a suitable receptacle provided with two compartments, of a top provided with two` sets of perforations, one set for each compartment, and also provided with a .radial slot and an internal housing therefor,

a disk or, plate-` centrally` pivoted to said ftop y. andprovided with two` sets of perforations adapted to aline alternately with the corresponding. sets of perforations in saidtop as said plate is revolved, and also provided with an oblique slotl arranged to have its outer end normally in vertical alinement with the outer end of said radial slot, and an operatin g-sprin g provided with a depending plunger at one end, adapted to enter said slots and to reciprocate therein and also provided with a suitable thumb portion, whereby pressure on said thumb portion will cause said plunger to travel inwardly along said slots thereby rotating said pivoted plate so as to throw one set of perforations thereof out of alinement and to bring the other set of perforations into alinement with the corresponding set of the top, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a suitable receptacle for salt, of alcover therefor, saidcover comprisingA a top having outer coarse perforations and inner fine perforations and provided with aradial guiding-slot and also provided with an outer depending iiange to fit saidreceptaele and an inner depending `flange concentric thereto inclosing said fine perforations and adapted to receive a pepper-receptacle, said cover also comprising a disk or plate centrally pivoted to said top and provided with a diagonal. slot andcorrespondingly perforated, said two sets of perforations being arranged so that the respective coarse perforations are normally in .alinement and the respective iine perforations are normally out of alinement, a pepper-receptacle tapering to a point at-its lower-end and adapted to fit the inner flange of'saidcover, and a spring secured vertically to the outer flange IOG .of said cover andprovided'with one-ormore coils at its lower end and withanupwardlyextending member or thumb portion bent over at the `top and provided at its outer extremity with a depending endV or plunger .adapted to enter anditovreciprocatein said oblique and radial slots whereby as-the spring is pressed said plunger` causes saidlplate to revolve so 1 as to throw the salt-perforations out of alinement and to bring the `pepperperforations into alinement, all-substantially :as described.

y 5. The combinationwith a suitablerecepftacle for salt, of a cover therefor, said cover comprising a top having outer coarse perfora- ,tions and innerflneperforations and .provided fwith a radial guiding-slot protected bya suitable internal housing and Aalso provided with` an outer depending flange to it said recepftacle and an inner depending nan-ge concentric thereto inclosing said iine perforations andadapted to receive a pepper-receptacle, said cover also comprising a disk or plate centrally pivoted to said top. and provided with a diagonal slot and correspondingly perforated, said two sets of perforations beingarranged so that the respective Ycoarse perforations are normally in alinement, andthe respective|- fine perforations are normally out of alinement, a pepper-receptacle tapering to a point at its lower end and adapted to fit the inner iiange of` said cover, and a spring se- IIO cured vertically to the outer iiange of said cover and having an outwardly-curved portion adjacent thereto to serve as a linger-hold, and provided with one or more coils at its lower end and with an upwardly-extending member or thumb portion curved outwardly substantially parallel to said linger-hold and bent over at thetop and provided at its outer extremity with a depending end or plunger adapted to enter and to reciprocate in said oblique and radial slots whereby as the spring is pressed said plunger causes said plate to revolve so as to throw the salt-perforations out of alinement and to bring the pepper-perforations into c linement, al1 substantially as described.

6. The combination with a box, canister,

or analogous receptacle, of a perforated top provided with a radial slot and pivotallymounted plate arranged on the top, and having a slot disposed at an angle to that of the 

